In My Dreams Read online

  Beautiful.

  The purple off the shoulder design complemented her figure. Normally, she avoided styles that showed her shoulders and arms but this dress seemed to be made just for her. The skirt of the dress accentuated her smallish waist but downplayed what she considered to be her mother’s hips that were wide and an ass that was too big.

  Destiny fingered her necklace and then touched her ears, and she was grateful InTouch and Dana for all the perks she had received as a contestant in this contest. It was truly a fairy tale come true. She had to admit that she did look amazing. She half hoped that James would be there tonight to see what she looked like. She really did clean up well.

  Chapter Five

  Destiny was taken aback as she climbed out of the limo, the hordes of people mingling outside of the Hilton. She took a deep breath. She was getting nervous. Why did she do this? What if she actually won? She glanced around unsure where to go and saw a familiar face. She walked over to Dana Harper. She smiled; Dana was doing what Dana does best. She was in control, telling the staff what to do and putting out fires as they arose. Destiny stood there waiting for Dana to acknowledge her, and as if Dana read her mind, she turned and smiled at Destiny.

  “Well, well very impressive, you look absolutely gorgeous,” Dana beamed.

  “Thanks, I wasn’t sure where to go,” Destiny gushed.

  “Oh no worries,” Dana looked at a clip board, “You are at table two. Just walk the red carpet and Mike will take you to your seat. Good luck Destiny.”

  “Thanks Dana. See you inside.”

  Destiny started walking over to the entrance of the hotel. People started calling her name and shouting questions. A young man walked over to her.

  “Hi, I am Mike. I am your escort for the evening,” he said taking her elbow.

  Destiny was glad to have someone walk with her. She took three steps and had to stop to take a few photos and talk to the different reporters. She was overwhelmed. Mike could feel her tensing and put his arm around her waist to assure her it was okay.

  “Destiny, remember you look great and this is your night,” he whispered

  She nodded and took a deep breath.

  She made it through the chaos on the red carpet. And just as she approached the entrance of the hotel, she heard a man shout, “James!” She froze.

  “It’s okay; all the finalists will get to meet the subject of their essays tonight,” Mike informed her.

  She looked at Mike her eyes widened with anxiety. He smiled and nodded at her.

  “You’ll be fine, I promise. He is just a man and you are a beautiful woman. It’s just another day in your life. Breathe.”

  Destiny smiled nervously and inhaled deeply.

  “Okay,” she said as she released her breath.

  She and Mike walked into the hotel ballroom. She smiled at how the room had been transformed. It was gorgeous. The white linens on the table were pristinely pressed, and the centerpieces were small ice sculptures of a couple in an embracing stance. There was a dance floor to the right of the entrance with a live band playing the “Top 40”. To the left was an open bar, with waitress busying themselves with orders from the guests already enjoying the electric atmosphere of anticipation of what was to come.

  Mike led her to her table where she saw the beautiful formal setting with its elegant china. She looked down and saw that there were gold place cards for each guest. She found her name and took her seat. Mike sat next to her.

  “This place is great,” Destiny mused in awe of the glamour that surrounded her.

  “Yeah they wanted the finalists to feel special tonight.”

  “Well, they succeeded.”

  “Did you want something to drink?” Mike said as he waved a waiter over to their table.

  “Sure. Thanks. Are all the finalists sitting at this table?”

  “Yes, along with their escorts.”

  “Oh was I supposed to bring a date?” Destiny blushed.

  “No, you are good. Dana assigned an escort for each finalist.”

  The band started playing a Masters of the World song. Destiny started to relax and began to sing along. The waiter came and took the order for their drinks. Destiny ordered a glass of wine. This was a special occasion and felt something light and fruity was best. Soon the room was filling up with guest and the other finalist arrived.

  Mike and Destiny danced to a few songs. She felt like Cinderella at the ball. Mike was very accommodating and made sure that she had whatever she thought she may need. After they returned to the table, they joined in on the conversation. The contestants were talking about their essays and why they chose their celebrities. All of them were surprised they made it this far.

  Soon it was dinner time and the MC was welcoming the guests. He introduced each of the finalists. They all were presented with a certificate for being one of the top four finalists. Then, the four celebrities were greeted. Destiny couldn’t stop smiling when she saw James stand. He blew a kiss in her direction and crossed his fingers. The room went up in a cheer and laughter. Destiny blushed.

  Dinner was served, and the conversation resumed. As dessert was being served, Dana came to the finalist table and asked them to come with her. They followed her and each of them caught their breath as they were brought into a room with their celebrities waiting for them.

  “We thought no matter who the winner is tonight, you all are winners and we would like to give you a few minutes to meet your celebrity and take a few pictures with them, so you can remember this day. I will leave and come back in about 15 minutes to give further instructions.”

  The finalists exchange glances. They all were completely nervous and not sure what to do. James decided to break the ice.

  “Hi, I am James Michaels,” he said with a huge grin on his face and walked over to Destiny with his hand extended. “It’s great to finally meet you in person.”

  “U-um…I am …er…Destiny Long. The pl-pleasure is all…all mine,” she croaked out, mentally kicking herself as she accepted his hand.

  “Well, see that was easy. You look absolutely gorgeous tonight.”

  “Th-Thanks…thank you.”

  “Now Destiny, may I call you Des on our weekend, should you win?

  She nodded. Not able to speak again. Her mind was screaming…That’s James fucking Michaels talking to you. OH. MY. GOD!

  “Good. Now can you do me a favor and just breathe?” he smiled at her and winked.

  “Yes…yes I can do that,” she said letting out the breath she did not realize she was holding from the time he spoke to her.

  Everyone in the room laughed and the others followed James’s lead and introduced themselves. Soon the room was buzzing with conversation, stilted as it was. The photographers were snapping pictures. They took a few group pictures with the celebrities and some just with the finalists. Then each finalist took a few pictures with their celebrity. Dana returned.

  “Great, I’m glad you all are having a great time. Now the celebrities are going back to the ballroom and each of you will be reintroduced, and then the winner of the contest will be announced and she and her celebrity will be given a chance to dance together, just like the Prom King and Queen. Are you excited?” she said balling up her fist and tensing her body and hunching her shoulders as she scrunched her face up and shook slightly.

  The celebrities left the room and the finalists squealed.

  “Can you believe we were just in the same room with them?” Lisa said fanning her face and mocking a staged faint.

  “OMG, I did not expect that.” Betty said shaking her head.

  “I can die and go to heaven unless I am going to win the contest.” Grace added.

  “OMG!” was all Destiny could manage to let out.

  The ladies laughed, each of them fanning themselves with dreamy looks in their eyes.

  “This just got real, right?” Grace said as she headed to the door.

  ***

  “Ladies and Gentleman, it is with
great pleasure that we present to you the four finalists of the “A Weekend with Your Favorite Celebrity” Contest. Please give a round of applause for Destiny Long, Betty Smyth, Grace Dodgemen, and Lisa Retty.”

  The room roared in cheer and applause. The four women walked out and stood next to the MC. He then explained the terms of the contest to the guest. He asked the celebrities to come and stand with their potential date.

  “We are now ready to announce the winner of our contest. In fourth place, let’s hear it for Gggrraaccce Dddoooddgggemannn!”

  Over the loudspeaker, you heard her voice and then saw her video come on a screen that had been lowered behind them. The room cheered once the video was over and she was given an envelope. Her celebrity, Blake Rogers, hugged her and kissed her on the cheek.

  “In third place, make some noise for Bbbeeetttyyy Sssmmmyyyttthhh!”

  Again, the process was repeated.

  Destiny and Lisa glanced at each other and smiled politely. Destiny’s nerves were all over the place. Her stomach was doing flip flops, and she closed her eyes in a failed attempt to calm herself. James put his arm around her and pulled her closer to him, which did not help her at all as she actually felt herself beginning to tremble.

  “In second place, and the runner up if for some reason the winner cannot keep her date, ladies and gentleman, stand to your feet and make some crazy noise for Llliiisssaaa Rrreeettttttyyy! Our winner of the “A Weekend with Your Favorite Celebrity” Contest is Dddeeessstttiiinnnyyy Lllooonnnggg!”

  James hugged Destiny. All she could do was smile. Her cheeks hurt, her smile was so big. Tears flowing down her face, she thanked all the contestants and the MC. James kissed her cheek.

  “Before we let you party the night away, we have a few other things to take care of. First, we will play both Lisa’s and Destiny’s videos, and then Mr. Michaels and Miss Long will have their victory dance.”

  The videos played and soon Destiny was in the arms of James. They danced to her favorite Masters of the World song, “Lady be Mine.”

  James began to sing the words as he gazed into Destiny’s eyes. She thought she would pass out right there. He pulled her in closer and she leaned her head on his shoulder as he continued to serenade her. Their bodies flush together; she could feel her body responding to his touch. She felt a tear escape and roll gingerly down her cheek.

  Does it get any better than this? She thought as the commotion from the photographers and the people looking on faded into the far distance. There was only James and her now. Nothing else matter for the next few minutes.

  When the song ended, James kissed her cheek once more and whispered in her ear.

  “Glad you won, can’t wait for our weekend. You look absolutely stunning tonight. See you soon.”

  They separated, bowed to the audience and then to each other. Destiny could not believe she had won. She stood there as James walked away. Mike finally came to collect her and take her back to the table.

  “Did I really win a fantasy weekend with James Michaels?”

  “Yes, you did.”

  Chapter Six

  Destiny had received several emails over the past few weeks to set up photo shoots and an interview with the InTouch Weekly writer that would be writing the article about the contest. She had lunch with Dana Harper and her staff in L.A. to get the legal issues and concerns wrapped up. She had spoken with James Michaels’s assistant, Sean, to set up the date that they would spend a full weekend, day and evening, together. Destiny smiled and wondered if “an evening” could ever possibly turn into “all night.” If only she could actually spend the night with Mr. Michaels. She fanned herself just thinking about the possibilities; seeing those tattoos up close and personal, hearing from his lips the stories behind them. Oh My! She thought, clenching her thighs together.

  She had started downloading all the Masters of the World albums on her iTunes account so she could be familiar with some of the other songs that were not as well-known as the top hits from his albums. She was doing her homework, reading any and everything that mentioned him, and watching The Voice and YouTube videos to get an idea of his personality.

  The more details that were coming together, the more she got excited. She had an appointment with a stylist on Monday. She was getting a makeover and a few new outfits for her weekend with Mr. Michaels. She felt like a high school girl with a crush on the beefy English teacher. She even went to Walgreens to buy a poster of him so she could practice talking to him. Okay, maybe she took it overboard, but it wasn’t every day you get to go on a date with James Michaels, fucking sexy rock star.

  Her phone rang, she checked the caller ID, and it stated Unknown caller. Normally, Destiny would not answer these calls because that usually meant a tele-marketer, and she really was in too good of a mood to take a survey or be pitched an all-inclusive vacation. However, something told her to answer this call. She picked up the phone and pressed the receive button.

  “Hello.”

  “Hello, is this Destiny Long?”

  “Yes it is. With whom am I speaking?”

  “Destiny, this is Sean, James Michaels’s assistant.”

  “Oh yes, Sean, how are you?”

  “Well thanks. I am just calling to see if we can set the date for your fantasy date with James.”

  “Oh great.” Her voice sounded a bit higher than it should have been. She cleared her throat and cursed under her breath.

  “Okay, here are the weekend dates we have.” He began reading off several dates. Destiny wrote them all down and grabbed her calendar. They agreed on the dates.

  “So Destiny, you will receive an email shortly to confirm the dates that we have selected tonight. I will also make sure that someone is there to pick you up from the airport and get you settled into your hotel room for Thursday night. You’ll spend all day Friday with Mr. Michaels, and then you will be his guest on Saturday night at the Masters of the World concert. On Sunday, you and he will have brunch and a shopping spree. All the things you wrote in your essay will be accomplished during those times with a personal tour of his home.”

  “U-um okay sounds great.”

  “We look forward to meeting you, Miss Long. Now if you will hold, there’s one more thing we need to go over.” There was a pause, and Destiny thought what more could there be. This has already gone over and above her wildest dreams.

  “Destiny?” the voice said.

  “Yes?” Destiny asked. This wasn’t the same voice she had been speaking with.

  “James here.”

  Destiny’s breath caught and she was speechless.

  “Destiny? Are you there?”

  “U-um. Yes,” she whispered and nodded frantically, as if he could see her

  “Well, I just wanted to say hello and tell you I read your essay. I’m looking forward to exploring the possibilities with you.”

  “Ok.”

  “OK? That doesn’t sound like the woman who wrote an essay that made everyone have to have a cigarette afterwards,” James chuckled.

  She giggled, “I was not expecting to talk to you until our fantasy date. I’m sorry for my shock.”

  “No worries, you have a lovely night, and I’m really looking forward to seeing you again. I just wanted you to know that. Here’s Sean. See you soon.”

  Sean was back on the phone and soon the call ended.

  Destiny sat staring at her phone for several minutes. Did it really happen? Was she just speaking with James Michaels? She walked over to her couch to sit down before her knees gave out on her. As the words of “I won’t go home without you” filled the air, she closed her eyes and tried to collect her thoughts.

  Chapter Seven

  As the plane touched down at LAX, Destiny’s heart was thumping. It seemed it would burst through her chest. She took a deep breath and told herself it was going to be okay. He was not at the airport and she was a grown ass women, not some teenager meeting her idol. It was just a weekend, nothing more, just a weekend.


  She emerged from the LAX terminal to see a man dressed in a black suit holding a plain white card with her name printed neatly on it. Okay, she thought, it starts. She walked toward the sign and waved at the man to let him know that she was the person on his sign. He did not change his expression and waited until she was within inches from him, to say her name, “Miss Destiny Long?”

  “Yes sir, I am.”

  He opened the back door and said, “You can sit in the car while I load your luggage.”

  Destiny set down her carryon bag and walked to get in the car. She marveled at how well stocked the car was. There was a note on the seat with her name on it. The note read:

  Miss Long,

  Welcome to L.A. I hope your flight was to your satisfaction. Holy Fuck, I sound like I am writing something in the 1800s. Anyway, glad you are here. Make yourself comfortable and please have your first sip of champagne on me. See you soon.

  James

  She smiled and mentally checked off the first things she had mentioned in her essay. If he were not able to be there at the airport, then he would leave a note. She knew the rest of the time she would mentally tick off each thing he did that was mentioned in her essay. She blushed to think that he actually read it or had someone summarize it to him. Oh, get a grip girl, that’s what he‘s supposed to do. It’s your dream weekend. Not his. She poured a glass of champagne and took a sip. She was not one to drink a lot, but this was a special event, so she would indulge. After a few moments, she felt the car moving. Half an hour later, the car was stopping in front of the hotel. Destiny put her glass down and pulled out her compact mirror in her purse to look at her makeup. She had not put on a lot, but she wanted to make sure that it was still looking fresh. She had not expected to see James this evening, but part of her wanted to be prepared for any surprise, like the one he gave her when he talked to her over the phone.

  Her door opened and the chauffer extended his hand to her to help out of the car. “Miss Long. Your luggage has already been given to the bellhop, and Sean is just inside waiting to help you get checked in.”